Stories of families torn apart. A torture chamber allegedly built for children. Sexual violence, looting, shelling of civilian settlements. Could it get any worse?

Russia's brutal war in Ukraine will soon have been going on for a year. The damage is vast and inconceivable. But just as we start to think we have seen it all, a new spectre arises: Putin, orchestrator of climate armageddon.

Today, environmental specialists are raising concerns about rapidly depleting dolphin populations around the Black SeaA sea between Europe and Asia, with coastline in Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Bulgaria, Georgia and Romania. . Over 2,500 stranded dolphin bodies have been discovered on Ukrainian shores, with estimated thousands more dead at the bottom of the ocean.

Many think that the massacre is the result of naval sonar used by Russian submarines, which are thought to cause serious acousticRelated to sound or hearing. trauma to dolphins.

Dolphins are not the only concern. The war has had far-reaching impacts on agriculture, ecosystems, biodiversity, water supplies and air quality.

At COP27 last year, Ukraine claimed that Russia's invasion has led to the emission of 33 million tonnes of greenhouse gasesGreenhouse gases, which increase the atmosphere's capacity to hold heat, are vital to life on Earth: without them the planet would be freezing. But human activity is disturbing the delicate balance that created the conditions for life as we know it. Carbon dioxide is responsible for 60% of the manmade greenhouse effect, but we also produce smaller quantities of methane, ozone and nitrous oxide, which are even more damaging. - the equivalent of adding 16 million cars to our roads for two years.¹

Ukraine has an especially biodiverse territory, with more than 70,000 species of flora and fauna. Many endangered species and ecosystems are housed in Ukraine's protected national areas, but more than one third of these have been occupied or attacked by Russia during the war - so far. According to the Ukrainian government, this has put around 600 animal and 750 plant and fungi species at risk.

The impact on human environments in cities, towns and villages is equally devastating. Shelling and explosions release toxic lead, mercury and depleted uranium particles into the air, making even breathing hazardous. Buildings hit by explosions can pump out harmful carcinogensAny substance that can cause cancer. for up to three decades after the fact.

The destruction of infrastructure, and the impact of toxic waste and chemicals, in many of Ukraine's 13,000 rivers have also deprived over four million people of drinkable water.

This is not the first time war has ricocheted into menacing environmental damage. During the Vietnam War, the US was criticised for spraying dangerously toxic herbicides on tropical jungles. As well as destroying huge portions of protected wildlife, the herbicides have been linked to cancers, birth defects and other diseases.

Some say that Russia's ongoing assault on Ukraine is just the tip of the iceberg. They claim that climate change and war are self-perpetuatingWhen something causes itself to continue to exist - or by existing makes itself worse.  - of the 25 nations most vulnerable to climate change, more than half are ongoing conflict regions.

Many cite the example of Syria, where a long and painful drought from 2007 to 2010, caused at least in part by man-made climate change, was credited with causing the country's civil war, which started in 2011.

Disasters caused by climate change give rise to unrest, which contributes to conflict, which causes yet more climate change. Experts say that this cycle will only accelerate with time, if we do not find a way to stop the clock.

Yes: Every impact of this war is going to have repercussions for centuries, but we should pay particular attention to the environmental hazards. We are reaching breaking point with climate change and should take this more seriously.

No: Our first priority should always be the direct human impact. Russia's intention is not to destroy the environment, but rather to attack the Ukrainian population and Ukraine's sovereignty. We need to focus on this first and foremost.

Or... It is natural for humans to sympathise most with what we understand, which is the impact of war on human life, relationships and culture. But many of these ecological side-effects will also have an impact on human health and lives for decades to come, so we need to keep them in mind.